Dusty Bassinet
by Sombereyes
Summary: Memories are woven into each little detail...and this one item, can bring people together, without even knowing it. ...A side story to White Fence. mostly a fluffy companion piece.


A/N: I'm expanding upon the "White Fence" universe. The reason being, I left it so open, that there's plenty to play with. So, just so you guys know, I am going to be doing more with it as time goes on. I have another full story I'm working on...but it's only three chapters in, so I'm not ready to share that one yet...but I will be posting it, eventually.

This is a fluffy little one shot, I hope you like...you'll have to have read White Fence, to truly understand this one shot. So, if you haven't done that, you might want too. This fiction takes place anytime between the chapters of 3 and 6, just so you have some idea of where this might have taken place...This was actually supposed to be something that was going to be in the fiction, but I'd lost the slip of paper that it was written on. So, today, as I was cleaning out my desk...guess what I find...

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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**Dusty Bassinet**

White, woven, and soft on the inside, with two handles, and a shade to block out the sun. At one point, the name plate brightly displayed a name. There was some lace, that had over time yellowed due to age, and some of it dangled, not staying in its proper place. However, back in the day's of its prime, this well-worn, constantly used bed, had been the only real gift that they'd kept. The only hint that a different person had loved them. Now, it sat forgotten, up in storage. It sat on a few boxes, but other than that, it was lonely.

The storage space above the house was mostly empty.

Natsuki and the twins didn't have many things when she moved into the house. However, this treasure was one thing Natsuki had always kept. Though every move, flood, and storm, it stayed protected. With gentle motions, she picked up the dust covered memory, and turned to face Shizuru. "See, I told you, I kept it." Now, the blankets inside were faded and stained with what looked to be the wear and tear of life. "I didn't really want them to miss it...and I didn't know if Aki would be sentimental enough to want it, when she grew up. I thought, this might help to answer any questions she might have."

Shizuru could only look in awe, of what had once been merely a fragment time in a long ago past. Her fingers reached out to touch the raised grooves of the spiraled handle. "This brings back so many memories." Shizuru said softly. She could see her family name printed across the plate, as if it were a reminder of just why she'd left them behind. She sighed, angry at that horrible last name. "Even looking at it, I can remember when they were so little." She smiled, a sad little smile, and looked down at the floor. "Aki was my baby girl, you know." A bit uneasy, at the feelings flooding over her. "Kane was going to be my little man around the house. He hasn't changed...he's grown into that person that I always thought he would be."

"Yeah, well he didn't get a lot of help from me in that regard." Natsuki shrugged, a bit worried. Shizuru looked as if her past had just engulfed her, as if she was swimming against a current. "They had a lot of people to influence them. It's a good thing too, or who knows how jaded they may be. Mai especially, was a big help when Nao and I lost our minds."

"Not even their names are the same." Shizuru said then, as she looked back into those emerald eyes that could consume her. "I'm okay with that...I'm happy it was you." Yet, even so, in the face of solid evidence that kept affirming what she'd been told, she could not help but feel mystified. "However, I can't help but be reminded of everything that I used to know...as if that distance has carried into today. They're strangers to me now, and, I can't help but be bothered by that."

"This might come as a bit of a shock, but sometimes they're strangers to me too, especially now." Natsuki said as she pulled the woman in front of her into a much sought embrace. "I remember a time in their lives, when I knew every little detail, even the ones I had no real interest in knowing about." Those day were fleeting, and almost gone. "They're at the time in their lives, were they don't always talk to me anymore. Sometimes, that thought scares me." They were older...as old as she was, in fact, when she'd begun to push the world away from her. "However, I've come to the conclusion, that it's just going to be the way things are. I can't change it, you know?"

"Yes...I suppose you're right." It didn't ebb away the sting at all, but, it was the truth. "Even if I wish that wasn't the case." Shizuru pushed away from Natsuki then, to look outside, seeing the two siblings spar out in the grass. Kane was being gentle, Shizuru could tell. Even so, his fluid and calculating motions were giving his sister a hard time. "Though, I wish Aki would find ease within something. She's always so angry, and I just wish that wasn't the case."

"Well, can you blame her?" Natsuki chuckled as Aki was easily taken down by her brother yet again. "Back when I was only a little bit younger than her, and I'd met Nao, we were kinda shoved in a adolescent detention center for a while." Natsuki's voice held humor at that, a soft chuckle slipping from her lips. "There wasn't anything to do, and we were roommates. We would try to keep busy by trying to best each other. We tried all sorts of different things. Finally, we fell back on sports and tests of strength the most. Pushups, pullups, squats, and even weight lifting. We were bored out of our minds, so we had to do something." Natsuki shrugged. "Needless to say once we got out, since we'd already had a routine in place, we added to it."

A loud shout bellowed through the neighborhood, and Natsuki only shook her head as the siblings rolled around on the grass, Kane was stuck in a head lock. "Nao and I ended up sparring a lot because of it." She nodded out of the window, still amused. "So, needless to say, that's just the kind of stuff they picked up from us once they were left at the chapel. When they were toddlers, Aki especially, liked to be thrown around. In fact, for the longest time, Kane wasn't the one in charge...though, he let her get away with a lot."

"Natsuki, thank you." Shizuru murmured then. "For everything."

"Would you stop that." Natsuki's eyes found Shizuru's, as they stood together. "I didn't bring you up here, so you could do that." She found herself watching the sights below again, thinking for not the first time, how complete this felt. "I only did it because of that." She nodded to the old Bassinet that sat beside them. "So, that you know your place, once and for all...so that, you can understand, that you belong here with them, Shizuru...and me too."

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Well, there ya go. Part of White Fence that had gone missing... This is why one should keep a clean desk...


End file.
